Made in Sussex: Veasey & Sons Fishmongers

Veasey & Sons is a fishmongers in Forest Row. After being open for 6 years, they have won numerous awards for their produce and are now looking to expand: a real Sussex success story.

Veasey & Sons, run by Chris and his son-in-law, Dan in Forest Row, East Sussex this year has celebrated their 5th award in the 6 years of being open. The business began in 2010 when father-in-law, Chris realised that East Sussex presented a good opportunity to sell good quality, fresh fish. The demand was there, so after selling at markets in East Grinstead, he made his way to Forest Row with Dan to open a local fishmongers.

Veasey & Sons sells fresh fish caught weekly from the coast of Eastbourne, where their boat is docked. They catch a range of fish, but also buy fish directly from vendors in Newhaven, and sometimes Cornwall or Scotland. Dan Howes, Shop Manager explained: “We just have the one boat and have numerous areas that we go to for fishing. We sell whatever we pick up, and that can vary throughout the seasons. At the moment we have a lot of lobsters, for example. We don’t trawl our fish and, with a small boat like ours, this makes our fishing very environmentally friendly. We also really like to encourage our customers to try new fish, helping the sustainability of the ecosystem.”

After receiving more than 350 entries from across the country, the 12 category winners and the 9 regional winners of the Farm Shop & Deli Awards 2016 were revealed at a ceremony in Birmingham on Monday 18 April 2016. Veasey & Sons picked up the award for Fishmonger of the Year as well as winning the South East Regional award.

The awards were judged by a team of experts from the world of speciality retail, fine food and food media, including Jon May, Managing Director Fabulous Food & Drink, Giles Henschel, Co Founder & CEO Olives Et Al and Ross Gilfillan, Editor Speciality Food magazine.

On their win, Dan commented: “We were so shocked and elated to win the award for Fishmonger of the Year. There were so many other brilliant fishmongers in the category, and there are a huge amount of amazing, high quality fishmongers across the region too. So, to be placed above all of them is an honour – I’m not quite over it yet!”

Dan told SBT about their plans for the future: “We have just started to sell a bit more than just fish. For example, we now sell our own fish stock, fish cakes and soups, and also smoke our own fish.” He added: “Soon, we are looking at opening up a cooking school, so that people can learn how to fillet and cook their own fish at home. We are really big on educating people about our produce; it makes people feel more at ease with trying new things if they know more about it, and there is so much to learn. I am still learning more and more every day myself.”

Veasey & Sons Fishmongers

17 Hartfield Road

Forest Row

East Sussex

RH18 5DN

01342 822906